Cognition Today

20/10/2024

Play-fighting, imagination, pretend play, fantasizing, etc., are very powerful ways to build your brain. Even as adults.

19/10/2024

When there is a mismatch between how you treat others and how others treat you, anger is a likely outcome. It is a show performance that emerged through evolution as a bargaining tactic to forcibly "request" better treatment.

18/10/2024

Empathy also comes from gaining experiences you haven't had yet.

11/10/2024

Digital Civics.

Here's an introduction to an upcoming 2 part-series on digital civics. It's an extension of civics that caters to digital citizens. It'll cover different types of good & bad behavior, rights & duties on the internet, and core cyberpsychology concepts that govern our online behavior.

09/10/2024

Here's how you can humorously give a technical spin to everyday behaviors using psychological jargon

07/10/2024

Psychologists are needed in startups in non-clinical roles. (Save post for caption.)

Typically, psychologists are guided toward HR, counseling, managerial, or content roles. But that doesn't even begin to describe the potential value of a non-clinical psychologist in the tech industry.

As I see it, human-technology interaction and consumer behavior are psychologists' areas. It's a role that needs a human-centric approach.

It is a very lucrative career option for psych people. I've myself fallen in love with that role.

Students: explore these options. Look at anthropomorphism, user-product interaction, gamification, nudging and behavioral engineering, and consumer behavior.

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐩𝐬𝐲𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐞𝐬?
-understand consumer behavior
-intellectual property creation
-converting psych theories into product frameworks
-market research
-conversational AI
-UIUX
-feature validation
-gamification strategies, anthropomorphism
-nudging
-creating sales and ad copy based on psychology
-internal training for productivity & well-being
-finding bottle-necks in an organization
-R&D for product design, web design, app design
-product content
-consulting for product decisions
-being a bridge between departments that have to work together
-thinking creatively about user stories (empathy-centric user predictions)
-marketing (behavioral marketing, social media strategy)
-behavioral engineering (modifying market/user behavior with specific goals
-AI data annotation and AI communication
-branding and brand story-telling

Learn these as you graduate:
1. Prototyping with python
2. Data analytics
3. Prompt engineering (using API access)
4. Web-design, App-design
5. Creative copy & design (e.g., Canva)
6. Ad copywriting
7. How technology stacks
8. Principles of product design
9. Principles of conducting business
10. Raw reel-style video creation

06/08/2024

As much as memory, critical thinking, and communication take priority in learning throughout the lifespan, observational skills tend to get neglected.

I describe 4 processes of observation here

1. Paying attention
2. Verbalizing & naming your observations
3. Sharing your observations
4. Building "schemas" for observation so you get exponentially better

The first 3 are easy to implement, but the ROI on the 4th is the greatest.

Schemas are powerful constructs in the brain. They are powerful, dynamic containers that capture information.

Here's an evidence-based way to improve your overall observation skills, without using specific memory tricks.

03/08/2024

Humans have biases. So does AI. But they are fundamentally different. I analyzed LLM behavior to spot some of its biases. This is a part of a larger project I've undertaken on AI cognition.

The source of human biases is 4 core properties of the brain.

1. Association of stimuli

2. Backward compatibility with past learning

3. Retaining valuable information

4. Selectively focusing on information

The source of AI biases is training, fine-tuning, and attention mechanisms.

This is an initial exploration of cognitive & behavioral biases in Artificial Intelligence in the form of large language models. I've specified some AI biases and shown how human biases are very different.

03/08/2024

The Screenshot Test is a neat trick I've been using to see if the content on a screen is valuable.

📲 The Screenshot Test for usability and shareability of content

Does your app/content pass the screenshot test?

👉 If users take a screenshot of a page, is there enough VALUE and CLARITY in it at a glance for them to upload it to their socials or share it on WhatsApp?

✅ If yes, the information density is great, and the page is shareable.

❌ If no, the page can be optimized for information.

The philosophy: Low effort to view and share maximizes daily social engagement. Easy & compact = shareable.

The screenshot test is a powerful design heuristic that makes content worthy of sharing because of the simplicity and accessibility of a screenshot.

17/01/2024

Having a psychology background typically prepares you for some theory, research methods, statistics, counseling, and community welfare. At least most bachelor's degrees in psychology offer these. When you get to the master's level either from the arts, science, or interdisciplinary approach, you begin to specialize. You would then acquire core competency skills like using psychometric tests, structured counseling, conducting research, contextual thinking, the scientific method, report writing, case presentation, problem formulation, etc....

Looking at how technology and society have evolved, psychologists have to upskill and focus on many new skills that are traditionally not taught during graduation. I've listed the future-proof skills for early career job seekers.

15/01/2024

Brain reserve and cognitive reserve are assets in the brain that help us battle age-related cognitive decline and the risk of Alzheimer's disease. And they develop throughout the lifespan via cognitive activities and lifestyle choices. The reserves buffer against brain damage and also enhance functioning with or without damage. That's why - our most valuable player (MVP). Our mental health, …...

Brain and cognitive reserve protect the brain from damage and allow alternate ways to compensate for damage. I discuss the key research insights, what the reserve means, and what we can do about it.

04/01/2024

Annie gets mad and breaks a pen in front of her friends. No one feels bad for the pen. Alyssa breaks a pen she lovingly calls Gerald. Everyone feels bad for Gerald because he died. There are no secrets to anthropomorphizing a product - making it feel human with human qualities. At the very least, you slap a name on it, give it a face, and half the work is done....

Explore the art and science of anthropomorphizing products and brands using psychological theory. I've outlined tips for marketers and brand creators.